Local News

Sugar Beet Days funding gets nod

Group hopes to increase hotel stays this year

Last year's Sugar Beet Days was the largest ever, according to members of the event planning committee. (Sara Waite / Journal-Advocate file photo)

After tabling the matter last week, the Logan County Commissioners approved a Lodging Tax Board project, up to $6,000 to advertise for Sugar Beet Days, during a business meeting Tuesday.

Rocky Samber and Gene Meisner gave the okay for the project. Dave Donaldson was absent from the meeting; he was in Denver presenting a grant application to Colorado Parks and Wildlife for the shooting sports complex.

The commissioners tabled the item last week because there were no Sugar Beet Days committee members there to discuss the project.

Tuesday, Dave Conley, representing the Lodging Tax Board, said in previous years the event has been held in conjunction with Pedal the Plains, so they haven't needed to advertise much. Last year they only asked for $5,000. This year Pedal the Plains won't be here, so the committee felt they needed more funds for that reason and because they would like to stage a concert the Saturday evening of the event, which runs Sept. 17-18.

Originally, they asked for $7,500; however, Conley said the board felt that increase in funding was too much, so they agreed upon $6,000.

"As with all of the groups that make multiple appearances before the Lodging Tax Board, they are told that the expectation in the future is that they become self-sufficient and won't need our help as time goes on," he told the commissioners.

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Last week, in a split vote the commissioners reduced a funding request for the High Plains Outdoor Show, Tractor Pull and Draft Horse Show. The group was asking for the same amount of funding as last year, but Meisner and Donaldson felt they should get less because the event needs to become self-sufficient.

Sugar Beet Days committee members Chip Steger and Cheryl Walraven shared an itemized list of their advertising expenses, which Donaldson asked for at the last meeting.

Steger noted their budget for advertising is $8,500, but the form they presented only showed $8,110 a year, because they don't have the Pedal the Plains money this year.

"We looked at how many people are staying in those motel rooms; this year we think there will be a lot more rooms available than the last two years," he said, adding they have a reception on Friday evening for vendors before the event kicks off for the public, which helps get vendors to stay at hotels in town an extra night.

Steger estimated roughly 28-30 of their vendors will stay multiple nights in town. They hope to get a better count of that this year and anticipate it could be even higher than Steger estimated.

Meisner asked where the reception will be. Steger said it will probably be where it was last year, at the Chamber of Commerce. Meisner also wanted to know how many vendors they have already booked for this year. Walraven estimated she's booked about 40 to 45 percent of the open spots.

Steger pointed out that because the Lodging Tax Board feels that if someone lives 130 miles or more away from Sterling they're more likely to stay here overnight, the Sugar Beet Days committee plans to target North Platte pretty heavily.

Samber asked if they have a fund balance. Steger told him right now the committee's targeting spending another extra $2,500 of its own money to put on the event.

Steger noted last year was the biggest year they had ever had, so the event is growing and they to see it continue to grow. Walraven said they had 145 vendors last year, 115 the year before that and all the years before it was less than 100.

Meisner asked if they could adapt if it grew to over 145 vendors. Steger said they could; "our plan is somebody maybe going to streets and that if we have to."

In other business, the commissioners approved:

• An abatement of taxes in the amount of $19.72 on behalf of Patricia Bartlett, county treasurer;

• An agreement between the county and Pauley Construction, and the issuance of a right-of-way permit for use of the county right of way under County Road 12 at 4987 Highway 63, in Atwood, for installation of a six pair phone line; and

• Proposals for fair services from Caliche After Prom for ticket takers/usher services, at a cost of $3,500, and Colorado Waste Management for port-a-potties and trash disposal services, at a cost of $1,550 and $2,050.

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